I appreciate your concerns and would like to share your hopes. As a society, we need a much greater awareness and willingness to confront the problem head-on. The extent of segregation, discrimination and doublespeak is getting worse and requires a forceful, unified challenge.

We need to observe very closely which of our public officials acknowledges the seriousness of this issue and which dismiss and laugh about it. We have seen both kinds following this and other incidents in Bel Air and Harford County. We need to keep the light shining, and support one another in working for change.

Written by a grandmother who persuaded her daughter to move to Bel Air, and is now ashamed of the recent racist incident that took place at the high school, the letter made me think about the book we discussed last night at our book club, The New Jim Crow. How naive so many of us have been and how urgently we have to get out of that if we hope to change things rather than talk about how we hope to change things and find two generations later that things are worse than when we started.

]]>https://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/2017/11/29/concerned-grandmother/feed/0paravindaWhen Carly stood up for mehttps://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/2017/11/27/when-carly-stood-up-for-me/
https://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/2017/11/27/when-carly-stood-up-for-me/#respondMon, 27 Nov 2017 16:48:26 +0000http://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/?p=1217A new librarian smiled from behind the children’s desk. New to me – she had been working there for some time. Maybe because they rearranged the children’s section or maybe because my daughter was now a volunteer, I no longer found myself approaching the children’s desk with her in tow, and had not properly met some of the newer librarians. Little did I know that it was I, not my daughter, who would receive invaluable help from her.

So when I saw her at the desk I merely smiled back and went on my way. If I noticed the scarf she wore around her head, I perhaps thought it was a religious head covering and thought nothing of it. I came to know that her name was Carly B, mainly because she was not Carly R., who supervised the library volunteers.

Last November I noticed that she wore a safety pin on her cardigan. I had read about the symbolic safety pin, that offered reassurance and solidarity in case one felt vulnerable or targetted under the new regime, be it Brexit in the UK or “Brexit++” as Trump touted his own campaign in the US. Indeed, within days of the election, it became evident that open discrimination and ostracization was on the rise.

No matter how much you hear about these things, though, there is a tendency not to be prepared for anything to happen to you. So when much to my own surprise, the day came that I faced this myself, stopped while walking in my own neighborhood and questioned by the police whether I was “here illegally,” I sought out allies one by one.

I was considering speaking publicly about the incident at the Bel Air Town Hall. My family and a couple of friends were ready to come in support. A few others I told also expressed shock and outrage. I wondered who would show up if I spoke at the town meeting. I can still remember cautiously approaching this softspoken librarian who wore the safety pin. I was standing near the shelves in the middle school section. I told her about what happened. She listened compassionately and offered to share my story with some other librarians, including some from other branches, who would likely come in support as well.

The next morning I got a message from one of those librarians, whose mother happens to be my best friend from high school. He worked at the Aberdeen branch of the library. I started calling more people. My mom called her friend, who invited me to share my story in her church, and several people there said that they would come. A local action group, Together We Will, had recently formed and I talked about it there as well.

At the next town hall meeting, the room was full. In the video, you can see here that one of the first who stands up and leads the gathered folks in a standing ovation is Carly Bastiansen.

I later learned that she was struggling with cancer. After I became her facebook friend I would read about her hospital visits, which she always wrote about with great courage, compassion for herself and her family, realism about her prognosis and in spite of it all, optimism about every day that she survived.

A few days ago, she passed away. In the short time I knew her, she made a deep impression on me and nearly everyone I have talked to since hearing this news has said something similar.

A compassionate soul, ready to help others, whether in finding a book or speaking truth to power, she exemplified what a librarian should be.

Carly told us and David Monday that she wanted to donate her organs and tissue to Johns Hopkins to help continue research into fighting pancreatic cancer. Carly’s ultimate donation, and any monetary donations we’re willing to make, will have a big impact.

Thanks on behalf of Carly and all those dealing with this tough disease.”

]]>https://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/2017/11/27/when-carly-stood-up-for-me/feed/0carly nspparavindajake-chat-e1511714265368Amy Chmielewski sworn in as Town Commissionerhttps://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/2017/11/20/amy-chmielewski-sworn-in-as-town-commissioner/
https://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/2017/11/20/amy-chmielewski-sworn-in-as-town-commissioner/#respondTue, 21 Nov 2017 02:14:17 +0000http://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/?p=1205Amy Chmielewski was sworn in as Town Commissioner today. We look forward to working with her on the various issues Bel Air faces.
]]>https://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/2017/11/20/amy-chmielewski-sworn-in-as-town-commissioner/feed/0paravindaTown of Bel Air election resultshttps://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/2017/11/10/town-of-bel-air-election-results/
https://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/2017/11/10/town-of-bel-air-election-results/#respondFri, 10 Nov 2017 12:18:36 +0000http://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/?p=1198The results are in! Congratulations to Patrick Richards and Amy Chmielewski. We look forward to working with you and setting strong expectations for improving life in our community.

]]>https://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/2017/11/10/town-of-bel-air-election-results/feed/0paravindaVote for Bel Air Town Commissionerhttps://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/2017/11/07/vote-for-bel-air-town-commissioner/
https://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/2017/11/07/vote-for-bel-air-town-commissioner/#respondTue, 07 Nov 2017 12:43:55 +0000http://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/?p=1180Dear daughter, who has attended and spoken at several Town Hall meetings, took the initiative to write to the candidates running in the 2017 election for Town Commissioner.

She is a model citizen, and I wish she could vote. Four more years till she can.

Based on responses received and our experience attending town hall meetings, I have decided to vote for Patrick Richards, an incumbent, who has spelled out his goals in a letter to the Aegis, and Amy G. Chmielewski, who is a newcomer. Both have expressed interest in sustainability, walkability, water resources as well as other issues. We also asked the candidates about issues such as climate change and discrimination and the responses of these two candidates reflected somewhat greater maturity than the other two.

It is not a lot to go on, but this vote certainly matters and I thought it important to share what I learned and how I was voting.

]]>https://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/2017/11/07/vote-for-bel-air-town-commissioner/feed/0paravindaSpeaking of Racism in Bel Airhttps://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/2017/10/17/speaking-of-racism-in-bel-air/
https://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/2017/10/17/speaking-of-racism-in-bel-air/#respondTue, 17 Oct 2017 14:18:03 +0000http://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/?p=1174Background:Seven Bel Air High students disciplined for racist photo
from the Aegis, October 12, 2017

Town Council Meeting, Oct 17, 2017

At the beginning of the public comment period the mayor said that they had received a number of letters and that they all agreed that what happened was unacceptable. Of course they said that they have no control over the school and encouraged us to take it to the Board of Ed, which we plan to do. We in turn tried to talk about what they could do as commissioners and what the town needed to do as a community to combat prejudice, bullying and a climate that promotes racial injustice.

I think any further letters that people wish to write to the Town should focus on that aspect. And we should follow up with the invitations / challenges of DeLane Lewis and Cheryl Adams to see that they attend the Walking While Black film screening. It would certainly make a clear statement that they took this issue seriously if they were present at the screening and took part in the discussion.

]]>https://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/2017/10/17/speaking-of-racism-in-bel-air/feed/0TWW speaks at town councilparavindaLaughter, applause and “Amen!” as Kathy Szilega dismisses SPLC data on discriminationhttps://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/2017/09/29/laughter-applause-and-amen-as-kathy-szilega-dismisses-splc-data-on-discrimination/
https://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/2017/09/29/laughter-applause-and-amen-as-kathy-szilega-dismisses-splc-data-on-discrimination/#respondSat, 30 Sep 2017 00:00:53 +0000http://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/?p=1109Though our book club was scheduled to discuss “Hope in the Dark” by Rebecca Solnit, Pam proposed and others agreed that we reschedule it so as to be able to attend a public meeting concerning a development coming up in Joppa which was known by various names – River Run, Old Trails, and “Muslim housing.” The issue was: “Is this neighborhood going to be Muslim-only?”

Certainly such a thing would not pass the fair-housing laws. Furthermore, even if for some reason there was a special exception permitting this, I was concerned that it would send a signal that Muslims should live in separate neighborhoods and worried about the freedom of religion of those who lived there – what if someone wished to adopt another religion, could they still live there?

As it turned out there was no such plan. How could there be? Did hearing that information put to rest the concerns of the 200+ who showed up at the meeting? Were they really concerned that the neighborhood might be closed to non-Muslims? Or were they concerned that there would be Muslims there at all?

As the Baltimore Sun noted in its editorial, “The cost of demagoguery in Harford County, ” the actual dispute between the builders and local officials had to do with paperwork and compliance with stormwater regulations.

I am glad I attended the meeting and heard all this first hand. Even as I entered the meeting I had seen no clear statement as to what the meeting would be about. I ran into Delegate Kathy Szilega outside the restroom and asked her. She spoke only of stormwater permits and some construction work issues, the latter of which, she stated publicly, had started being addressed as a result of a prior meeting. (reported in the Sun: Concerns about ‘Muslim only’ development spark controversy in Joppatowne)

Dr. Faheem Younus, who is part of a company involved in promoting the property, stated clearly and repeatedly that anyone was eligible to purchase and live in the homes. Although 20 had already been sold, 20 were still available. Apparently he even gave out the realtor’s phone number (I left early and did not hear this). The only restriction is that the community is for people of age 55+.

[In the video below at 49:25 Delegate Impallaria asks, “Dr, How can we buy a home”

Dr Fahim gives out the name of the realtor Bob Stone and phone number 443 608 2257]

While the Sun editorial rightly calls out the role of Delegate Impallaria and Delegate McDonough, I would like to hold Delegate Szilega accountable as well for while she herself kept her remarks related to permit and construction issues, she did not oppose the demagoguery of her colleagues. In fact, when a community member raised the issue or rising incidence of hate crimes against immigrants, particularly Muslim immigrants, quoting data from the Southern Poverty Law Center, she coolly said, “I don’t believe any of us are discriminating. The Southern Poverty Law Center gets a lot of stuff wrong.” She was met with laughter, applause and “Amen!”

It was really sad to see xenophobia on display at the meeting. Punctuated with the obligatory remarks of “I don’t see color” and, regarding racist discrimination, “that does not happen in this community.” Yet it was happening right before our eyes. At the opening of the meeting, a young man whose skin was brown was asked, regarding the pledge of allegiance, “do you need help with that?” Later when Dr. Faheem went to speak and shared his own experiences of living and working in the US I heard someone heckle, “are you a citizen?” When he stated that the community center would be for cultural activities and that while they planned to pray there, anyone could pray there as well, I heard a woman in front of me say, “I am not praying in a mosque.” If someone uses a community center to hold prayers connected to the Muslim faith, does that community center become a mosque? The Armory in Bel Air is used on Sundays by a Christian organization. Has it become a church? Are there any religious criteria governing who may rent the facility?

Even more sad is the claim that having a mosque in the neighborhood would lower property values. In the above video at 33:20, just after the audience applauds itself on its lack of bigotry, a man says “house values around a mosque decrease.” Why would that happen if there was no discrimination? First of all, the facility is not a mosque, it is a community center which will be used for various purposes and one planned purpose is to hold Muslim prayers. During those hours it may feel like a mosque but another group can use it for another purpose. More importantly though – what if it was a mosque? Even then, provided it secured required permits, there can be no objection. How can you object to building a mosque on the grounds that it affects property values? Is xenophobia a legally protected right?

]]>https://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/2017/09/29/laughter-applause-and-amen-as-kathy-szilega-dismisses-splc-data-on-discrimination/feed/0paravindaStand for Net Neutralityhttps://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/2017/07/12/stand-for-net-neutrality/
https://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/2017/07/12/stand-for-net-neutrality/#respondThu, 13 Jul 2017 00:00:13 +0000http://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/?p=1210We joined the National Day of Action for Net Neutrality, taking up the suggestion to hold actions at train stations. Here we are at the Edgewood station greeting morning commuters and summarizing the issue in song:

Should the CEOs decide what kinds of websites we visit?
Should our search results reflect the needs of telecom profit?
Should the content they disfavor have a lower speed limit?
No!
Then fight for net neutrality!
Expand our internet horizon
Not restricted by Verizon
Comcast, Time-Warner, AT&T
or any company
Fight for net neutrality!
#NetNeutrality

Fracking opponents seek support on a Maryland ban from Bel Air officials, who appear willing to oblige

Protesters against the natural gas drilling process known as fracking gather in front of the Bel Air Town Hall Dec. 5. They wanted the town commissioners to pass a resolution supporting a statewide ban on fracking.

Harford County opponents of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, to capture natural gas and shale petroleum deposits picked what at first appeared to be a curious venue to go public with their concerns: A meeting of the Bel Air Board of Town Commissioners.

The opponents, led by members of the group Harford County Climate Action, appeared before the commissioners at their two December town meetings. They gave a lengthy presentation and answered questions at the first session on Dec. 5 and came back two weeks later on Dec. 19 to thank the commissioners and to ask them to formally go on record supporting a ban on the drilling process in Maryland.

“We can’t pass a ban,” Tracey Waite, who lives in Bel Air and is president and founder of Harford Climate Action, said of the municipal government. “We can just pass a resolution in support of a ban.”

While the prospect of natural gas drilling happening in Bel Air or other parts of Harford County is unlikely because the county does not sit on a shale formation, local environmental advocates want to enlist the support of municipal and county officials in Harford going into this year’s Maryland General Assembly session.

“We’re concerned that, if the Maryland legislature doesn’t enact a ban in the upcoming session, fracking will start as early as next year,” Waite said in a recent interview.

The five town commissioners voted unanimously during a Dec. 13 work session to draft a position letter supporting a ban on fracking in Maryland, Michael Krantz, Bel Air’s Director of Administration, said.

Commissioner Brendan Hopkins made the motion to draft the letter, which was seconded by Commissioner Phillip Einhorn, according to Krantz.

He said the commissioners decided to send a position letter, rather than a resolution, because “they didn’t feel a resolution was appropriate for this scenario.”

As of Tuesday, however, the letter had not been drafted or formally approved, Krantz said.

A statewide moratorium on fracking is scheduled to end in October. Regulations proposed by Gov. Larry Hogan’s administration to govern the process, which involves the high-pressure injection of water mixed with drilling fluids into shale rock to break it up and get to the gas, are undergoing legislative committee review.

Opponents of the process want the legislature to enact a permanent ban on fracking in Maryland to protect land and water resources from the fracking fluids being injected underground. Fracking has been happening in recent years in the Marcellus shale region of neighboring Pennsylvania, and proponents of fracking want to open the shale regions in Western Maryland to natural gas drilling to promote jobs and economic growth.

The Town of Friendsville and the City of Frostburg, as well as the Baltimore County Council, have passed resolutions in support of a ban, according to The Baltimore Sun.

Waite noted Harford County environmental advocates are concerned that drilling in other parts of the state could lead to the growth of infrastructure in Harford to transport natural gas, such as pipelines, compressor stations and power stations.

“Also, air and water pollution comes here, too,” she said, noting pollution from drilling operations in Pennsylvania could come into Harford County via the Susquehanna River.

All of the public and private drinking water in Harford County, including the Bel Air areas, is either tied directly to the Chesapeake Bay/Susquehanna River ecosystem or comes from groundwater wells that are susceptible to degradation from human activities both above and below the surface of the land. While the nearest fracking operations are hundreds of miles to the north in Pennsylvania, many are within the Susquehanna Basin.

Waite and other members of her group recently took a guided tour of Dimock, Pa., a town about 33 miles north of Scranton in the northeastern part of the state. Their tour guides were local people, some of whom have been fighting fracking.

A federal jury found that the drilling firm Cabot Oil and Gas was negligent for polluting the water wells of some Dimock residents, National Public Radio’s State Impact reported in March of 2016.

Waite and other members of her group could see the impacts of fracking when they visited Dimock and the surrounding Susquehanna County in September. They could see polluted water, as well as sheds in residents’ yards used for storing containers of water or for venting methane gas.

“You can drive through a place like that and not really notice what’s going on until somebody starts to point out to you what you’re seeing,” Waite said.

She said the polluted water was “brown and looked awful.”

The fracking opponents asked to be included on the Dec. 5 town meeting agenda to present their concerns and were duly signed up, according to Krantz. The group even sang anti-fracking Christmas Carols in front of Town Hall.

About 45 people took part in the Dec. 5 protest, according to Waite.

Concern about environmental degradation and the impact on the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem prompted the awareness campaign in Bel Air, Don Mathis, a Havre de Grace resident and one of the opponents, said during the group’s follow-up appearance at Bel Air Town Hall on Dec. 19.

Mathis said Harford Climate Action plans similar awareness campaigns in other Harford municipalities such as Havre de Grace, whose water supply is the Susquehanna, and Aberdeen, where drinking water comes from either the river or well fields.

“There are so many dangers in and of itself; it’s really energy we don’t need,” Mathis said, urging the commissioners to go on record opposing fracking in Maryland, “not for ourselves, for our kids and grandkids.”

Waite, who also spoke briefly that evening, thanked the commissioners “for taking the time to hear us out.”

Einhorn said he had attended a Maryland Municipal League regional meeting in mid-December, after the anti-fracking group had first appeared before the commissioners, and said he was “astounded to find out how little people know” about fracking and its environmental impacts.

“I want to thank you for bringing it to our attention,” he said, a point seconded by Hopkins, who said the group had spoke “about things we didn’t know.”

]]>https://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/2017/01/04/in-the-press-bel-air-officials-respond/feed/0Ban Fracking RallyparavindaThe AegisRally to Ban Fracking, Bel Air Town Hall. Bel Air reservoir project lauded by town and county officials, but neighbors remain concernedMaryland environmental advocates take anti-fracking, climate-change positions to churchHarford environmental advocates push to remove chicken waste as alternative energy sourceBel Air Town Council hears people call for a resolution supporting a Maryland ban on fracking … but do they listen?https://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/2016/12/06/bel-air-town-council-hears-people-call-for-a-resolution-supporting-a-maryland-ban-on-fracking-but-do-they-listen/
https://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/2016/12/06/bel-air-town-council-hears-people-call-for-a-resolution-supporting-a-maryland-ban-on-fracking-but-do-they-listen/#commentsTue, 06 Dec 2016 14:37:05 +0000http://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/?p=1049Concerned townsfolk and friends from around the county and neighboring Cecil and Baltimore counties rallied outside the Town Hall in Bel Air and called for a statewide ban on fracking in Maryland. After some rousing Christmas carols, the group heard from Tracey Waite, President of Harford County Climate Action, Brooke Harper of Chesapeake Climate Action Network and Steve Mogge of Citizen Shale in Garrett County which would be one of the first to be affected if the Maryland moratorium on fracking was allowed to expire without a ban to replace it.

Rally to Ban Fracking, Bel Air Town Hall.

Then we went inside to speak to the Mayor and Town Commissioners directly and hear their response to our concerns.

Tracey Waite, president of Harford County Climate Action began with a detailed overview of climate science and why we need to keep fossil fuels in the ground to slow the rise in global temperatures and sea levels. Spencer talked about the chemicals involved in fracking, the public health impacts and the economic devastation that follows its short term gains.

Khiyali and Alison, two teenagers who visited a community affected by fracking in Dimock, PA and who have since been learning more about the issue, also spoke to the council about why it was important to ban fracking, protect our water, and prioritize renewable energy. Scott Businsky, a librarian in the County Libraries, talked about the impacts of fracking from a wider economic, socio-political and public health perspective, and the role of activism in a democratic society. Brooke Harper talked about bans passed in other counties and towns in Maryland and Steve Mogge appealed to the council to understand the concerns of those who would be first affected, including his home county, Garrett. Wade Williams, Peter Purol, Fawn Palmer addressed various social, economic, environmental and health impacts and urged the Council to be on the right side of history on this issue.

Judy Pentz spoke from the heart about her own friends who were directly impacted by fracking in Pennsylvania. Believing the claims of safety and economic opportunity, they leased their land for fracking and now were facing illness and much less money than initially advertised. “In these times, who would not want to earn some extra money? But as my friends found out all too quickly, it is not worth it. They are sick, their kids are sick.”

Following the presentations which addressed technical, economic, environmental, health and social aspects of fracking, the Mayor thanked the group and asked if any Commissioners would like to respond.

The commissioners looked blankly at each other for a moment, then Hopkins began, “Yes I would like to express my appreciation to the police for the fine job they did with the parade this weekend.” He continued for a few minuted on the parade, how well it went and how many people enjoyed it. Another commissioner added his praises, saying that the Christmas and 4th of July parade were making Bel Air a destination not only for people of Harford County but throughout the region.

Only the Mayor herself, Susan Burdette acknowledged the presentations on fracking, thanking people for coming before declaring the meeting adjourned. Outside, long after everyone had left, I saw her still engaged in discussion with a few of the people who came to the meeting.

I would think protocol would at least call for any elected official to acknowledge people’s concerns and appreciate their taking the time to bring them to the town meeting, regardless of his or her own opinion on the specific issues raised. It was heartening to see the mayor taking the time to talk to people, even outside in the cold after the formal meeting was adjourned. We noticed that a couple of the commissioners did show interest while people were talking, and one even asked for more information. So we do have an opportunity for further dialogue and we need to make the most of it.

Regarding the other commissioners, if their stony silence is any indication of their response to our call for a resolution in support of a Maryland ban on fracking, they can expect the Bel Air Town Hall to become a destination not only for people of Bel Air and Harford County but throughout the region.

Hear some of the speakers:

Steve Mogge of Citizen Shale, Khiyali Pillalamarri of Harford County Climate Action, and Scott Businsky, who is a librarian spoke about the impacts of fracking – economic, environmental, health, social and asked the Council to pass a resolution in support of a Maryland statewide ban on fracking.

Alison Kinney and Wade Wiliams

]]>https://idlewildstreet.wordpress.com/2016/12/06/bel-air-town-council-hears-people-call-for-a-resolution-supporting-a-maryland-ban-on-fracking-but-do-they-listen/feed/2Bel Air Town CouncilparavindaRally to Ban Fracking, Bel Air Town Hall. Bel Air Town Council. From left: Brendan Hopkins, Patrick Richards, Susan Burdette (mayor), Robert Preston, Philip EInhornSuzanne Burdette, Mayor of Bel Air